Otter research fund likely to continue

SANTA CRUZ &GT;&GT; A state tax form check-off benefitting sea otters appears to have garnered enough taxpayer support to continue raising money for research in 2015.

One of nearly two-dozen check-offs allowing taxpayers to contribute a portion of their refunds to a variety of causes, the sea otter research fund has helped pay for studies on otter populations, including along Big Sur and in Elkhorn Slough.

"The fund is the main source of funding for sea otter education, conservation and research work in California. Without this fund, we'd be hard pressed to accomplish the things that we're trying to do to recover this population," said Jim Curland, advocacy program director for Moss Landing-based Friends of the Sea Otter.

But every year, the fund must draw enough interest to continue appearing on tax forms. The 2014 target number is $277,666, and while not there yet, a state Franchise Tax Board spokesperson said the fund has raised enough so far that it is likely to stay on the form.

Southern sea otters are one of the Central Coast's iconic species, though their recovery from near-extinction is not yet complete. Last year's official sea otter count by the U.S. Geological Survey was 2,941 — including a record number of pups — but the annual survey shows otter numbers seem to have reached a plateau in the last few years.

With more competition for taxpayer contributions, Sen. Bill Monning, D-Carmel, authored a bill this year to assure the state Department of Fish and Wildlife and California Coastal Conservancy could continue using some money from the fund to encourage taxpayers to contribute to it. The bill is on Gov. Jerry Brown's desk.

Santa Cruz County has been a big supporter of the fund, according to data from the Franchise Tax Board. In 2013, at least 482 locals gave nearly $8,000 to otter research.

Those donors were heavily concentrated in ZIP codes that include Santa Cruz and Live Oak, where more than half the money was raised. In fact, residents of the 95060 ZIP code were, collectively, the third-largest group of contributors in California.

However, all California donors were dwarfed by one ZIP code: more than $25,000 was raised from an area that includes San Francisco's North Beach. No other ZIP code raised more than $3,000.

But the number of contributors from North Beach was relatively small, as was the median contribution. That's a sign that a sole mystery benefactor likely gave thousands toward otter research through their tax return.